{"id":9766,"date":"2026-07-17T17:53:19","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T16:53:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kevinmaschke.com\/?p=9766"},"modified":"2026-07-17T17:53:22","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T16:53:22","slug":"the-rose-field-philip-pullman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kevinmaschke.com\/en\/the-rose-field-philip-pullman\/","title":{"rendered":"The Rose Field, by Philip Pullman (The Book of Dust Vol.3) – The long awaited ending to Lyra’s story."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The last entry in Philip Pullmans<\/a> The Book of Dust<\/a>: The Rose Field<\/a><\/strong>. The finale to Lyra’s incredible and exciting story which started with His Dark Materials so many years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being a direct continuation of the previous entry, it picks up right where The Secret Commonwealth<\/a> ended<\/strong>: Lyra Silvertongue travelling through the ancient ruins and bustling cities of the Silk Roads, moving towards the desert of Karamakan, desperately trying to reunite with her daemon Pan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, Malcolm Polstead is on his own mission to find and protect her, while the Magisterium, under the single-minded leadership of Marcel Delamare, is preparing a “holy campaign” to destroy a mysterious source of perceived evil which, as it could not be otherwise, lies in the same desert of Karamakan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the introduction of grand, gold-obsessed gryphons, the return of the witches, and the secret behind the world-famous rose oil, it\u2019s not only an incredible adventure<\/strong>, but also a philosophical exploration of the “secret commonwealth” and the bridge between our rational world and the magical one we often lose sight of as adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Representation of the three books that make up the Book of Dust trilogy: La Belle Sauvage, The Secret Commonwealth and The Field of Roses.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Rose Field – What do I think?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Mixed feelings. That\u2019s probably the best way I can describe it.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I started this book hoping to read the conclusion to a great adventure and story, to get closure on all (or most) of the open plotlines. Instead, I felt a little disappointed when I finished it<\/strong>. It\u2019s not a bad ending by any means, but it surprised me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t get me wrong. I still loved Pullman\u2019s writing and really enjoyed the story, following Lyra and Malcolm on their journeys east and into the Red Building, the amazing places, the creatures, and even most of the characters. But, as the ending got closer, something started to feel different. The sense of magic I always felt while reading His Dark Materials<\/em> just wasn\u2019t there<\/strong> in quite the same way, and as the final chapters approached, that feeling seemed to fade more and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Philip Pullman<\/a> is an incredible author, and His Dark Materials<\/a> remains one of my favourite book series<\/strong> of all time. Maybe my expectations were simply too high because of that. But there are things in The Rose Field that just didn\u2019t sit right with me, and the ending is by far the biggest one<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It feels abrupt and unexpectedly final<\/strong>, while leaving so many questions unanswered:<\/p>\n\n\n\n